SLOW DECLINE of NETWORK RADIO

Network radio still popular in late 40s and 50s because it's culturally important and not everyone has TV or access to it

• Profits of radio went to funding TV
• New genres like Sitcom become popular because advent of TV which make Radio popular because use Sitcom on Radio
• Stations go independent and drop net affiliation
• Music formats emerged as NEW norm
• INSTEAD OF DEATH it BECOMES NEW MEDIUM
• Becomes Local
• Becomes format as opposed to genres
• Niche medium as opposed to mass
• Reinvents itself parallel to Baby Boom

SUBURBINIZATION and BABY BOOM

• Affluence of the middle class after the war led to suburbanization
• Culture of the youth became very mainstream since everyone was at same economic level for the most part
• led to large movements of rock and R&B and the scare associated with those types of music (More explained in DJ card)

DJs

• Disc Jockeys
• Promoted music, especially that which was associated with teens of the baby boom and the Juvenile Delinquency and Race scares of the 50s and 60s

• Life with Luigi
• The Goldbergs
• Mama (Norwegian American)
• All shows from 1950s that came from fact that stations were in urban areas
• Themes of Assimilation and proper consumerism

• These include parts of the economy that were bettered in the post war era due to military industrial infrastructure being reinforced
• TV because of sonar
• AUTO because of tanks
• Other munitions - household durables
• All these consumer goods were bought on credit

• TV grew from 1947 by 500% (set sales)
• FCC flooded with license applications
• FREEZE from 1948-1952
• Moratorium on TV licenses and frequencies because influx of apps led to CHAOS
• Studied the problem and was intended to lsat 6-9 months but lasted four years
• 108 stations on the air, largely network affiliates

CONSEQUENCES

• Original 108 stations have head start because they built audience and gained experience (trained personnel, faciliites in order)
• Mostly CBS and NBC affiliates whcih solidifies NETWORK SYSTEM
• KEEPS OUT COMPETITORS
• Urban Bias since TV develops as urban phenom, VERY little rural TV until fater the freeze

• During the Freeze, TV had to be either VHF (Very High Frequency) or Ultra High Frequency (Ultra High Frequency)
• VHF had 12 channels, had to be separated
• Advantage was frequencies couldgo farther
• UHF had MORE channels
• Disadvantage was it wasnt as far a signal and most people had VHF sets
• Decide to KEEP VHF channels in 1960, years later they create UVHF tuners
• FCC chooses UHF/VHF intermexture

• AM was used for experimentation in radio era, later used in the TV era mostly for talk shows and news programs
• FM usually is more for music and public radio, especially in 1970s

• CBS innovates with color (mechanical system)
• FCC endorses CBS color, then wavers, then finally approves RCA color
• NASA uses CBS color, Commercial TV stays black and white for a while (1950s)

• LP (Long Play) records were the 33rpm type
• EP (Extended Play) had one song on them and were 45 rpm
• They were able to compromise because different niche audiences
• NTSC was forced to settle it slightly later because of issues with formatting and production of RCA record players

• CBS found NBC's radio talent, paid more than NBC so they got better talent and better shows
• Many comics were hospitalized for nervous stress disorder because the production schedule took SO LONG

House Un-American Activities Committee

Looked for possible Reds, led by Sen. Joseph McCarthy

• Rise in political tensions during the 1950s and 1960s
• Korea war broke out
• Soviet nuclear program
• Espionage

• Variety and Variety comedy (Most popular in top 10)
• Live theatrical drama, prestigious
• Sports, like boxing or wrestling
• Filmed hollywood products (First runs or recycled hollywood serials and series)
• Ethnicoms
• Westerns in late 1950s
• Rise of the Sitcom

• Networks transmitted "live" through kinescopes and simulcasting
• Helped networks keep affiliates and resist hollywood influence after the freeze
• Helped aid public service, was UNIQUE
• FCC and other spromoted live genres because excitement of the uncontrolled, emphasis on PERFORMANCE not PERFECTION
• Could work directly with sponsors live
• Network news was interplay of LIVE and FILMED
• Desilu three camera film system was mix of LIVE and FILM aesthetic

• 1960-1980
• Vertically Integrated
• Oligopoly (Big 3 own stations and drive out indies)
• Ends live era, switches to film
• Oligopsony (nets force studios to deficite finance since they hvae power as buyers, gain syndication rights)
• STANDARDIZATION, CENTRALIZED, HOMOGENEITY
• Shift to FILM
• shift fo FORMULAIC and GENRE programs
• DOMINANCE of WHITE MIDDLE CLASS
• MAGAZINE SPONSOSHIP
• NETWORKS have MUCH control over programming
• KEEP IT CHEAP
• Innovation-imitation-saturation, easier to COPY
• Some criticize no public service, too much sex and violence, leads to "Vast Wasteland"

• SITCOM (Becomes non-ethnic, middle class, suburb as opposed to urban, Nuclear family as opposed to couples without kids, "problematic Dad"and fantastic families, FILM aesthetic, naturalization of mise en scene, continuity) Sitcom of earlier used opposites and used DIALECT and PHYSICAL EXCESS
• Drama became FILMED as opposed to LIVE, went from being New York based to Hollywood produced, more felxible that way with locations and stars, STUDIO dominance
• WESTERNS become big, many of them like Gunsmoke are immitated so they have to change bit because innovators are good, Gunsmoke and Bonanza are most popular
• ANTHOLOGIES still exist like Twilight Zone, Franchise (Cop, Lawyers) shows are similar to anthologies as well
• SPORTS expand
• VARIETY declines
• DAYTIME SOAPS enter (Guiding Light and FIRST primetime soap is Peyton Place)

• Contestants were given ansewrs on 21, $64,000 Question.
• Networds want control and the FCC wants to look serious
• This is why punishment was created, new rules whcih destroyed careers
• Quiz shows moved OUT of prime time
• Suppression:  The birth of the Classic Network System
• Mass taste was shaken by this scandal which is why it triumphed when they found quiz shows were fixed

• Payola is the act of paying DJs for airplay on the radio
• DJs had potential to influence what the youngin's were listening to
• DJs punished by fines and new rules
• Rise of Top 40 Radio format radio
• Playlists and music clock
• Race RE-segregation

• Big Three networks commission/produce AND schedule programming
• Move to spot ads, multiple sponsorhship
• Sponsors no longer control the networks

• Few sellers in a market
• The Big Three networks own all the stations
• Recruit affiliates and drive out the indies

The purchase and right of a station to broadcast a show outside of the original network that produced that show.  A show can be syndicated to public stations from the network or other stations or internationally.

Sitcom became closely tied to syndication in 1960s

• There are few buyers and theoretically many sellers
• The networks hold coercive power as buyers
• Force studios to deficit finance
• Have leverage to gain ownership and syndication rights
• Studios are captive to networks who are the "few buyers"

• Newton Minow headed reform movement of the Vast Wasteland of Television and the threat of mass culture in 1961
• Delivers speech to FCC chair, says it's unimaginative, formulaic and doesnt deal with social issues of the day
• Didn't want light entertainment because that was ice cream for every meal
• Needed to be more variety, education, public service, less payola and scandal
• More documentary etc.
• He was supported by public activism and outcry
• FCC implicitly threatening to NOT renw station licenses
• Led to more documentaries, NBC White Paper
• Also led to socially conscious TV like East Side/West Side

Because of the Vast Wasteland speech and the FCC threat to not renew licenses, networks decided to create more documentary broadcasting

• Networks did gain some prestige, some documentary programs WERE pretty successful but wren't THAT popular
• Weren't radical but did press white elite to develop social conscience

• Programming meant to assuage fears of the "Vast Wasteland" including East Side/West Side which was about social workers in New York dealing with slum housing, racism, etc.

Station in Jackson Mississippi that refused to report on social injustices or Civil Rights movment at the time.

Pre-empted any programming that starred or featured any black characters

Violated the Fairness Doctrine and the FCC took them to court, almost repealing their license which caused the station to get first Afro-American TV exec in the South

• 1967 Report, PUBLIC TELEVISION:  A PROGRAM for ACTION
• Outlined structure, funding, program production for PBS
• Based off of BBC, SOCIAL UPLIFT rationale
• Led to Public Broadcasting Act of 1967

• Ratings are percentage of potential audience that is watching a program
• Shares are the percent of the actual viewing audience that is watching TV
• HUTs are Homes Using TVs at a particular time.  It's which percent of TV owners are watching tv at a time, not just a specific program

Public Broadcasting Service that was created by the Ford Foundation

It doesnt have indpendent funding, depends on congress

explicitly for public service

Corporation for Public Broadcasting was Created by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 by Ford

Worked with NET to create PBS and also made NPR

• REPRESENTATION of BLACKS in 1960s with Julia and other shows
• KIDDIE shows, ABC counter programming like mousketeers, Happy Days

• Canceled their popular rural shows like Beverly Hillbillies
• Because they needed to make sure they didnt underperform in urban areas
• Revenue would come more from young people and women
• Replaced shows with ones that would attract young urban women like Julia which was racial harmony and strong female character
• Cigarette ads were 10% of revenue but hey lost it!